Confessions of a naive fashion model. It takes three mistakes to be swallowed up and spat out by the fashion industry. You trust the wrong people. You think you know everything there is to know about life. You take drugs. Maja started off as a regular 17-year-old high-school kid, fighting her inner insecurities while dreaming to become an actress like Marilyn Monroe. At a party her boyfriend Klemen introduces her to a renowned modelling agent. He sees a special X Factor hidden insight her. And a great business opportunity for himself... Fast forward a few weeks later. Maja's charm and talent land her a modelling contract in the trendy and exciting fashion capital of Milan. She's completely enchanted and determined to make it in the fashion world. But things don't turn out the way she had planned. Exhausting long photo shoots, stressful fashion shows, strict dieting and wild parties start taking their toll on her soon enough. In desperate search for help Maja reaches out to her agent and other false friends from the fashion industry that emotionally and physically exploit her to the point where 'Maja the Great' is merely a shadow of her former self. She starts battling drug addiction that ends up in a tragic event. Maja has been finally swallowed up and spit out by the fashion industry with its endless traps. What price will the girl with the X Factor have to pay for her naivety? The young adult novel The X Factor by the bestselling Slovenian author Ivan Sivec is based on a true story and takes the reader on a frightening journey into the world of drug addiction among teenager fashion models."

My Review:

I enjoyed the different POVs and writing styles that Sivec works into this novel. It was an intricate and different look at a life that many of us don’t usually lead. The manner in which Sivec develops his plot drew me into the lives of the characters. The hard hitting story brings forward the suffering of the characters in a myriad of ways. The fact that Sivec looks at modelling from the inside, rather than just the glamor that we see.

I enjoyed the way that I could understand the characters but couldn’t quite connect with them. The separation between the lives that they lead and the life that I lead made the story all the more poignant.

This was definitely a hard hitting look at the life of a model. It wasn’t a light and fluffy read, but it was definitely well worth reading.